The National tribune., 1887-06-23
FREDERICKSBURG.
The Engineers Manned the Boats and Roued tks
Infantry Across.

Infantry Across.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Ny journal OF
three years service in the battalion Of T. s.
Engineers (Regulars) reads as follows:
Tuesday, April %, 1S63.-At II o'clock m.
we started for the place where the pontoon
train was parked. 1t was very cloudy, and I
doubt if the rebels could see US The move-
ment commenced about 3 o'clock D. M Infantry
and artillery of the Sixth Corps kept passing
by, and at last our battalion came along and
the train started. We moved about one mile,
and then halted behind piece of woods All
around US is any quantity of artillery of all
Kinds. The infantry is a little ways ahead OF
us. We are unloading many Of the boats, and
a large force of volunteers are taking them
down to the bank of the river. When about
90 boats were down by the river bank the bat
talon of U. 5. Engineers manned them. and
the boats were quickly filed, with about 80
Infantry soldiers in each pontOOn boat Up to
this time there had been no signs whatever OF
rebels on the opposite bank, but lust as this
little fotilla touched the other shore the rebels
opened heavy infantry fire, and four men fell.
One captain and two privates were wounded
seriously and died on the grOand short time
after. The battalion Of U. 5. Engineers made
four trips with bOatlOads Of infantry to the
rebel side Of the river, and of course, the in
antry Immediately stOTmed the rife pits and
made the rebels skedadde. We took two pris-
oners at this sime-one a private and the other
a Lieutenant, who told us that they the rebels)
heard OF our movement last night at II o'clock
Meanwhile, of course, it had become daylight,
and was
"Wednesday, April %, I863.-As soon as We
had this large force of infantry ferried across
the river things were hurried to get the bridge
done. We finished our bridge in very short
space Of time-inside of one hour The 18th
n. Y. Engineers constructed two bridges right
below ours and shared in all our adventures OF
this advance movement. The bridges are in
the very same spot where we had the last ones,
! on which franklin crossed at that time. This
place is known as Frankiu's Crossing. Our
oficers-Capt Reese Capt. Gross, Lieut. Giles
pie and Lieut. McEenzie-behaved in their
usual gallant style, winning the admiration OF
the entire battalion. The officers all went
across IN the first boats which ferried over the
| infantry, it being standard motto with them
/ not to send their men where they will not 90
themselves. The 5Oth N. Y. Engineers were
throwing bridge lower down the river"
In The NATIONAL TRIBUNE of May 10 W.
| III. Church, Co. G., I'd Wis., and 9th Wis, takes
all the glory, in fact the entire earth. As I
| was one of the parties who helped to ferry the
infantry across the river, his story sounds very
| strangely to me, and especially in the face OF
my Journal, written at the time. COmrade,
/ the battalion of u 5. Engineers did not occupy
/ front seats in the balcony Oa April p and %,
L
boats and rowed themselves across the river,
| but they (the U. s. Engineers) furnished four
I privates as rowers and one nOn-eommissioned
/ officer as steersman for each pOntOOn laden
| with infantry. Writing from memory and
! copying from Journal written during the war
| and at the time when history was being made
are very different affairs.
/ One of our officers, still in the service, says
as follows: At Charlottesville the battalion
/ threw a bridge at Franklins Crossing The
/ boats were massed the morning before one mile
/ from the river in pine forest and at night
/ were dismOunted and carried by infantry to
the crossing without the enemy being aware of
/ the movement until the boats were actually in
| the water. The Engineer battalion and the 18th
/ ". Engineers crossed the infantry in the face
| of musketry from the breastwOrks on the OppO-
site bank. The U. S. Engineers aftcrward built
the first bridge, 800 feet in length. in one hour
| and 10 minutes, and had from this time to the
close of the battle two bridges in charge, moving
| them in the meantime from Frankln's Cross
| ing (by raft to fredericksburg where they
were laid and communication at that point kept
up. After the battle there was not time TO dis
mantle them in the usual manner and the
| method by conversion was resOrted to. The
material was removed nOiseleSsly, the men tax
| ing Of their shoes. The last plank had scarcely
been removed when the enemy appeared on the
opposite bank."-F. VOGL, Co. d, Regular Bat
talon U. ). Engineers, Junction City, Kan.